Of Jealousy and Regret
by Lady Ryn
Summary: James gets the girl, and Sirius gets jealous. Who can ever say what the green-eyed monster of jealousy will do?
1. Chapter one

A/n: I got bored, it's late, and I still have an hour before I usually fall asleep. I figured I would write a fun little fan-fic for the group, to keep us alive.  
  
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all of these characters, lucky woman. I simply wish I owned one or two of them, and if you don't know which, I ain't gonna tell you here. However, I am adding random names in here so that the characters can have conversations outside the circle of friends, and not look crazy.  
  
Summary: James gets the girl, and Sirius gets jealous. Who can ever say what the green-eyed monster of jealousy will do?  
  
Chapter one  
  
"Come on, Lily," Mignonette called, her French accent musical. "Your boyfriend has a Quidditch game in five minutes!" Lily grumbled and put down her book of charms. "He is not my boyfriend!" she said for the hundredth time. She knew she fought a losing battle with this, but she wouldn't stop trying to win. In any case, she pulled out a coat and scarf, and joined her friend by the door. "Let's go get good seats, then. I don't want to have to sit by the Slytherins, they are horrible," Mignonette shuddered, probably recalling her latest encounter from Potions class. Lily, ever diplomatic, replied, "Horrible they may be, but they have as much of a right to be here as you do. How many other people have the choice to choose between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons? But you're right, let's go get good seats. This should be a good game, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw." The two friends chatted idly while walking down the staircases, and Lily soon lost the thread of conversation. She wanted good seats to do some looking, though not out at the pitch.  
  
Sirius dragged Remus to the front row seats, glaring at two first years who had gotten there first. They quickly scampered out of the way, and Remus heaved a sigh. "You know you're not supposed to do that, Sir," he said softly, not happy, but not reprimanding. "Hey, look, it's Lily and Mignonette," he pointed, gazing at the transfer student. "She's extraordinarily pretty, don't you think?" Sirius laughed and gently cuffed Remus on the side of his head. "If James sees you looking at Lily like that," he started, his voice jokingly warning. "I meant Mignonette!" Remus said hastily, his ears burning under cover of his silvering brown hair. He idly scratched his upper arm, where a scabbed set of scratches remained hidden by his cloak. "Knock it off," Sirius told him, knocking his fingers from the scratches. "You want that to get infected?"  
  
Remus was glad of Sirius' concern, and tried not concentrating on the itch. "Maybe we should ask them to come sit over here," Sirius muttered, watching the girls try to find some decent seats. He stood, shouting, "Oy, Evans!" and glared menacingly at two more first year students. "You're in their seats. Move it." Remus sighed, but said nothing. He couldn't control his friends; they thought his prefect's badge simply allowed them to get away with more. Lily and Mignonette had arrived, both looking lovely, but Remus only had eyes for the French girl. "Thanks, Sirius," Lily said, a touch breathless, though Remus had no idea why. "Merci," Mignonette murmured in her soft, musical voice. Remus stood and offered his seat to her, and she smiled and sat next to it instead. Remus resumed his seat as Lily sat beside her friend, and Sirius, ever daring, sat and threw his arm behind Lily's back. She squirmed, Remus noted, but said nothing. Were it James, she would have been standing in a hurry, and off to find a new seat already. "Wonderful seats," she said, speaking to Sirius. He grinned lopsidedly and nodded. Remus watched the players step out onto the pitch, and smiled as he located James. By far the best Seeker Hogwarts had yet seen, James was rather rugged and dashing, Remus thought. Not to mention the way his hair was always messed up—completely intentional, but effective none the less. "It adds a certain je ne sais quoi," he thought.  
  
Mignonette decided to try and strike up a conversation with Remus by turning to the one topic she knew he would speak on. "Have you read any good books lately?" she inquired, turning to look at the handsome and mysterious boy. A slow smile spread across his lips, and he nodded. "One you might like, it was by Adele Muscat," he replied. "I believe it was about the magical history behind the French Revolution." The girl smiled. "Yes, I have heard of it. A relative of mine located the photographs to accompany it, did you see them?" "How could I not?" Remus exclaimed softly. "They were fantastic! The one from the cell in the Bastille? It was amazing! It was like I was transported back and was the man's cellmate. You could borrow my copy, if you would like," he offered, amazed at the amount of speaking he had just done. "Oui, I would like that very much," she replied. "Oh, it's starting!" she told him, pointing to the pitch.  
  
Remus and Sirius missed most of the game, each concentrating more on the girl beside him. Lily watched the game, flattered but distracted by Sirius' attention. She knew better, though, and would not acknowledge the attention. He was known for moving on from girl to girl, breaking hearts in each house but Slytherin. Mignonette, however, was smiling shyly at Remus and seemed to be having a good time. Happy for her friend, Lily smiled unconsciously. Sirius thought, as young men are wont to do, that the smile was just for him, and he leaned a little closer, tightening his arm around Lily's shoulder so that his grip was gentle yet possessive. Remus, at the same time, found his hand had moved of its own volition and now rested softly clasping Mignonette's hand. He looked at her, smiling shyly, and made to remove it, but she took a gentle hold. "She looks pretty when she blushes," Remus decided with a small smile intended for no one but her.  
  
James caught the snitch with Gryffindor fifty points in the lead, and Remus watched the players all fly down and shake hands. "A quick match," Mignonette murmured, and Remus wondered vaguely which match she meant. He knew her to be an avid divination student, so she could be talking about the two of them or the Quidditch game. Or, he wondered, could she be thinking of Sirius and Lily? The two had seemed to be getting along quite well. Better, in fact, than she and James got along. He smiled at the French girl. "A very quick match. Rather upsetting, I must say. It means that I lose time to spend with you." "Idiot, idiot, idiot, she'll see straight through that and think it a pick-up line from the second grade!" he chided himself in his mind. To his amazement she blushed, and smiled. "Well," she said slowly, "we could return to the dormitory together, if you wish to spend so much time together." Remus quickly agreed, and they left after bidding Sirius and Lily farewell. Soon losing sight of her friend in the crowd, Lily stood and watched the players collect the assortment of balls used for the game. She leaned against the rail, easily picking out James with his messy black hair. He had grabbed his broom and a bat from one of the beaters, and zoomed up to retrieve the bludgers. She was only vaguely aware of Sirius standing and moving closer beside her, their shoulders touching as he gazed out into the Forbidden Forest beyond the pitch.  
  
James brought his broom to a short stop, waiting for one of the bludgers to whiz toward him before slamming it with the bat toward the ground. He waited for the second, spinning idly to make sure it wouldn't come at him from behind, and spotted a familiar pair standing at one of the rails on the Gryffindor side. Lily, he noted, was watching him. Standing at her shoulder, "Awful close, isn't he?" James thought, was Sirius, looking out at the Forest. His anger flared as he saw a black-clad arm around Lily's waist, and he was more upset at the fact that she didn't bother moving away or pulling out her wand. James watched curiously as Lily's eyes grew large and she raised a hand to point over his shoulder. Her mouth opened in a scream as the second bludger slammed into his back. His breath disappeared from the force of the impact, and his broom pitched forward, throwing him off for the first time in his life. He had what seemed like hours to watch the ground as he fell, numbly aware that he had heard a dull crack when the black ball had hit him. He flipped in the wind, saw Lily had her wand out, and felt his descent slow. She had brought him to a safe, gentle landing on the grass, where he was soon surrounded by people before a silent darkness claimed his senses.  
  
Lily and Sirius raced to the hospital wing, using a secret passage that the handsome boy had pulled her into. They raced up and up, and finally emerged from behind a tapestry after making sure the coast was clear. Lily hurried into the hospital wing, and easily located James by way of seeing all of his teammates crowded around his bed. "Excuse me, pardon," she mumbled, squeezing through to the bedside. She whipped out her wand again, waving it slowly over his body and muttering an incantation that would tell her what was wrong, and if anything was broken. Her heart caught as she reached his midsection; her wand vibrated in her already shaking hand, proving that he had broken his back. Dropping her wand, Lily grabbed James' hand and clutched it, horrified at the years she had spent rejecting his attentions.  
  
Sirius watched sullenly from the background as Lily held fast to his best friend's hand. "It's not fair," he thought acidly. "I'm the one girls swoon over, not James. Why does she have to be so worried about him? She's rejected him the past four years!" A little voice sounded in his head. "Ahh, that's not fair to him. He's worked hard, concentrating on winning only her, but you've made a reputation for not being tied down anywhere." "So what? She spent the game with my arm around her, something she has never allowed James to do. She won't stand three feet away from him, and now she clutches his hand like a bloody lifeline." 


	2. Chapter two

A/n: Well, hm. What will happen? At the moment, even I don't know. To my fantastic reviewers:  
  
Nikki: Thanks! Yes, I plan on continuing, even if I get loads of 'You suck!' reviews. I do believe the database gives me the ability to delete those, so wacky fun for me. Thanks for the positive review!  
  
Budgiebird: Yes, Mary, you get more. With any luck, I'll have this up tonight, but who knows what could happen. Bad little computer faeries could eat my story disk, which would make me cry because this is the only copy of my stories I have. ::goes to make a backup disk....::  
  
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all of these characters, lucky woman. I simply wish I owned one or two of them, and if you don't know which, I ain't gonna tell you here. However, I am adding random names in here so that the characters can have conversations outside the circle of friends, and not look crazy.  
  
Summary: James gets the girl, and Sirius gets jealous. Who can ever say what the green-eyed monster of jealousy will do?  
  
Chapter two  
  
When James awoke, the school nurse decided it was time the Quidditch team left. She allowed Lily to stay, if only so that the girl could learn how to heal such a difficult broken bone. Lily watched the nurse, interested, but James could barely keep his eyes off the beautiful redhead beside him. How long had she been there? How long would she remain? Would she go out with him for tea at the next Hogsmeade weekend? He felt a tingling in his spine, and the nurse asked him if he had any feeling below the break. She motioned to Lily to touch his leg, to see if he felt it. To his eternal regret, the leg sent no sense of the touch to his brain. "No," he said, trying to keep the aggravation from his voice. "I can't feel it." The nurse nodded briskly and stepped into the storeroom. "I'm so sorry, this must be awful," Lily whispered, her hand still resting on his leg. The other hand he kept captured in his. "It's alright, I can't feel it. I can tell you what I can feel, though," he said, anger cracking his voice a little. Lily looked surprised. "What is it?" she inquired.  
  
"You. I have spent nearly all of five years asking for one date, and then I see you with my best friend watching me after a game with his arm around you! What the bloody hell do you mean by it, Lily?" he demanded. Shock filled him as tears sprang to her eyes. "No, Evans, don't cry, not when I can't move, I can't hug you to take it back," he spluttered, tightening his grip on her hand gently. "You- you're right. I've been awful. Madame," she turned to the returning nurse, "I'll have to learn some other time. I just remembered I forgot to do an essay." She released her hand from James', despite his protests, and ran from the hospital wing, straight into Sirius Black.  
  
"No!" she moaned. Sirius looked taken aback. "Can't stand the sight of me anymore, eh? I can't say I'm surprised after the way you plastered yourself on old Jimmy boy in there. Honestly, Evans, you'll need to decide which of us you prefer." With that, he stalked off, and left Lily to sag against the wall. "Everything's gone wrong!" she cried, and jumped when a voice behind her spoke. "Nothing is ever all wrong, dear, there is always at least one answer." She turned to look at the painting of the wizened old wizard behind her, and he grinned toothlessly at her. "You'll get your answer in the end, never fear. Just look at everything with an open heart," he said before walking away. "Wait!" Lily called, but it was too late. Her painted advisor had vanished.  
  
Lily started the walk to the dormitory, praying she wouldn't run into anyone else. Her shoulder hurt from the impact with Sirius, and she didn't think her nerves could stand any more emotional trauma. She had learned a very confusing thing at the Quidditch match, and she needed Mignonette to help her sort it out.  
  
Remus sat with Mignonette beside the lake, under his favourite tree. Far from the Whomping Willow, the view of the lake in front of the Forest quite often took his breath away. Today, however, the conversations with the transfer student were what took his breath away. Her pretty red hair seemed to almost glitter in the remaining sunlight, and her blue eyes nearly swallowed him when she gazed at him. They spoke of books, at first, but soon he asked her what life in France was like. She was delighted to learn that he spoke a little French, and aided his pronunciations on a few words. She discovered an undeniable attraction to his accent, and couldn't stop smiling. Nor could she help, she thought with a blush, wondering what his kiss would be like. "Soft and tender," she decided. "He would be a gentle, tender man, if his kisses match his heart." She shivered slightly, and he removed his cloak to drape around her shoulders without a second thought. "May I?" he asked, and she nodded assent before he slipped his arm around her shoulder to aid in warming her. She suppressed another shiver, this time not from the cold. "Si jamais tu trouve ton grand amour, il y a une sensation picotement á son touche. Pour le mit à l'épreuve, essai son baiser. Ton cœur le sait le reponse ensuit." Her mother had spoken those words to her before she died.  
  
"What does that mean?" Remus asked softly, turning his head to look down at the girl in his arms. Mignonette blushed, realizing she had spoken aloud. "My maman had spoken those words to me before she died. I realize now, she may have been correct. Perhaps one day I will tell you what they mean." Remus looked vaguely disappointed. What Mignonette did next shocked even her; she turned her head and gently kissed the young man. She pulled away before Remus was aware of what was happening, and they both blushed. "Pardon," she murmured, while thinking, "Maman was right, a kiss proved he is the one meant for me." She murmured the French again, then translated softly. "If you ever find your true love, there is a tingling sensation at his touch. For putting this to the test, test his kiss. Your heart will know the answer then." Remus blushed a little deeper, then smiled softly. "What did your heart tell you?" he asked, his voice oddly husky. "Tu as mon cœur, Remus. You have my heart," she whispered. She smiled slightly as he leaned in for another kiss.  
  
Sirius stared moodily at the setting sun from the Astronomy tower. "She can't love him, not now, not after all this time he's failed at winning even a date from her!" he exclaimed, startling a bird. He huffed and grumbled a while longer before deciding to return to the dormitory. "Surely Lily has returned to James," he said bitterly, throwing a stone over the edge of the platform into the Whomping Willow, which batted the stone back up and caught Sirius in the temple. Blood streaming down his cheek and an expression on his face to match his name, Sirius was stopped by no one as he stalked to Gryffindor.  
  
Lily sat in the empty common room, hoping that Mignonette would walk in. She sat looking into the dying fire, musing over what the man in the painting had told her. The words echoed in her head. "Look at everything with an open heart." Maybe she had to look at Sirius a new way. Perhaps he would be the one she was supposed to spend her life with, not James. But if Sirius was for her, would he accept that she was the one for him? Would James be able to let her go to his best friend? He had certainly seemed angry earlier. Lost in thought, she dozed off in the comfortable chair, her subconscious secure in the knowledge that no one would bother her.  
  
Sirius walked into the common room and headed for the arm chairs in front of the fire. The four first year students he had moved at the match earlier scampered when be brought out his wand halfway across the room. He smiled, feeling a little better, and aimed at the fireplace. A new, roaring fire sprang up, and he slumped into a chair in front of it. Tossing his head to get the hair out of his eyes, he caught sight of Lily sleeping in the chair beside him. His anger seemed to dissipate, no matter how he tried to hold on to it. He got up, knelt by her chair, and gently touched her hand. "Lily. Hey, Lily," he murmured, trying to wake her gently. She mumbled something he didn't catch, stretched, and allowed her eyes to flutter open. They looked unfocused, and Sirius watched her blink several times with a small smile. Gently helping her stand, he leaned her against him and walked her over to the girls' dormitory staircase. "Wha?" she mumbled. "Go on, darlin, go to bed. You fell asleep in the common room," Sirius explained softly. "Oh. Ohhh," Lily replied, some of the confusion melting away from her face. Sirius shocked Lily—and himself—when he raised her hand to kiss her knuckles. "Go on to bed. You're fine." With a gentle nudge, she turned and went up the stairs to bed. Sirius returned to the chair Lily had occupied and sat. Musing with a small smile, he inhaled deeply because her scent still filled the chair, he was unaware of his fingers tracing his lips softly, and wondered what had made him kiss Lily's hand. 


	3. Chapter three

A/n: Wow, it's been quite a while since I've updated this.

Star of Dawn: Thanks! I did horribly in French, and it couldn't have helped that I pulled that little bit out of my head while half asleep at 5 in the morning. So, yes, thank you very much for the help with the French, and I'll update that with a very thankful notice that you gave me the proper translation.

LhZvHz: I have a confession to make. Mignonette was modeled after my dear friend Budgiebird. She kept hounding me to write a Harry Potter fic, so I did and put her in it just to show her who's boss. Just kidding. She, like most sane people, loves Remus, so I gave him to her. Hehe. Yep.

Budgiebird: Mary, look up! You're in my explanation for the other loverly reviewer I have! I felt horribly about bashing Sirius in the head with the rock. He won't be bashed by any more rocks.. I think. In any case, he shouldn't have thrown it at the Whomping Willow! Yes, I do know what you mean. Hehe, I'm glad you see James that way. I've never cared for him much, to be honest. Please don't eat Shakespeare... I'd have to be sad..Trish would be happy.. And I'd have to retaliate.. but I don't eat meat, so I can't eat Sadie... I'd have to find something... ::goes off to think::

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all of these characters, lucky woman. I simply wish I owned one or two of them, and if you don't know which, I ain't gonna tell you here(though we now know I don't really want Remus for myself..). However, I am adding random names in here so that the characters can have conversations outside the circle of friends, and not look crazy.

Summary: James gets the girl, and Sirius gets jealous. Who can ever say what the green-eyed monster of jealousy will do?

Remus and Mignonette discovered that sneaking into the school after-hours was no easy task. Twice Remus had needed to tell the patrolling teachers that he was simply making sure there were no lost first years. The teachers had failed to notice the transfer student hiding in the shadows nearby. "Merlin's beard," Remus muttered as the Potions master stalked away. "I wish I had James' map!" He led his newfound girlfriend back towards the dormitory.

"You there!" called a voice, and Remus groaned inwardly. "What d'you think you're doin' out of bed?" Remus and Mignonette looked up at Grizzley O'Learn, the nasty caretaker. "Please, Monsieur O'Learn," Mignonette said softly, with a quiver in her voice that caused Remus to look at her. _'Where did those tears come from?'_ he wondered, but listened to her story. "I—I got lost," she told the caretaker, whose expression had softened, much to the amazement of Remus. "I suppose that I do not know the school quite as well as I had hoped. Remus had been looking to be sure no first years were lost, and found me instead. If he had not found me, I'd probably not have found my way back to the stairway leading to Gryffindor." She sobbed into her hands, and Grizzley, the evil man who would jinx rule-breakers as quickly as he could speak the incantations, put his arm around the French girl's shoulder comfortingly. "There, there. Just go get yourselves to bed. There's no harm done. If ever you need anything, you just call old Grizzley." He offered her a handkerchief and let them on their way, Mignonette now "sobbing" on Remus' shoulder. As soon as they were around the next corner, however, she burst out in a hysterical fit of giggles. "Shh," Remus muttered, unsure of Grizzley's hearing.

"Claptrap," he told the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Any first years, Remus dear?" she asked, swinging open. "Not unless the Slytherins have them in their clutches," the prefect answered with a grin. "I really wish she'd stop listening to James," Remus told Mignonette as they entered the common room. "She really seems to like you," the girl mused with a smile as Remus walked her across the room. She stopped suddenly, causing Remus to bump into her. "What?" he queried, but she quickly shushed him. "Sirius," she whispered, pointing.

His wand was laying on the floor where it had fallen with a clatter from his limp hand. Mignonette picked it up, placing a hand on the chair's arm for balance. Sirius' hand flew to grab her wrist in a tight grip, causing her to gasp and point his want at him. "Let go," she demanded, aiming between his eyes. "Sirius," Remus growled in a low, threatening voice when his friend did not let go. "Don't wake me up like that ever again, Minnie," Sirius growled before releasing her hand. Dropping his wand in his lap, Mignonette stepped back beside Remus. "Don't call me Minnie." She turned to Remus. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you before breakfast." Giving him a quick kiss goodnight, Mignonette disappeared quickly up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Once she was behind a closed door, Remus rounded on Sirius.

"What the bloody hell d'you think you were doing?" he demanded. "Aw, lookit, ickle Remmy has a girlfriend!" Sirius teased. Remus pulled out his wand. "Knock it off, Sir," he warned, the wolf inside rising with his anger. Struggling to push it back out of his head, Remus watched Sirius throw his head back and laugh. "You're really far gone on her, aren't you?" Sirius asked, running his fingers across his lips unconsciously, the ghostly touch of Lily's hand impressed upon them. "What of it?" Remus growled, throwing himself into the chair near his friend. "Listen, Padfoot, there's something about her that strikes an oddly familiar note in me. I don't know exactly what it is, but she's different from other people somehow."

Mignonette crept towards Lily's bed, knowing her friend was awake from the light seeping from underneath the hangings. "Lil?" she whispered, and bit back a scream as a hand shot from inside the curtains and pulled her into the little enclosure. Lily cast a quick spell to prevent eavesdropping, and patted the covers in front of her to have her friend sit. "Where have you been?" Lily demanded. "Remus and I lost track of time," the French girl replied, blushing. Lily waved that aside with a small smile. The smile faded and was replaced by a serious frown. "I want to tell you something that happened to me earlier," she said. "I'd fallen asleep in the common room earlier," she began, and Mignonette sighed. "It's an epidemic. Sirius was asleep in one of the chairs when Remus and I got back." Lily smiled. "Sirius woke me up, actually. He sent me up here, with a kiss. He kissed my hand," she said, shaking her head in wonderment. "Like he was being a gentleman. It was nice, but bizarre." Mignonette smiled. "He's liked you for a while. You can see it in his eyes."

Lily returned her friend's smile. "You know who else has eyes betraying secrets? Remus. I was watching at the quidditch game. He's quite taken by you." Mignonette frowned slightly. "He's got a much larger secret than that, I think. There's something familiar about him. I'm not sure what. Just, there's this aura around him that reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on." She put a hand up to cover a yawn, and apologized as she looked at her watch. "Merlin, I didn't realize how late it was. I'd better get to bed. And you should, as well, if you want to get any sleep before breakfast." Bidding her friend goodnight, Mignonette climbed out of Lily's bed and into her own. Unfortunately, she failed to follow her own advice, and lay awake thinking for the rest of the morning.


	4. Chapter four

A/N: I really have no note, this time. Not yet. Maybe I'll stop posting chapters until people post more comments… So there!

Bookworm: Here, you don't have to beg on bended knee! Thanks so much for the review, I hope you like the rest. I don't really plan on ending it for quite a while. insert hysterical laughter, as it's my senior year and even if I'm homeschooling it's driving me insane 

Budgiebird: Son of a biscut? Isn't it 'biscuit?' Maybe just in my insane little world. You managed to spell 'thickens' correctly, though, so good job! I'll come visit again when it's not finals.

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all of these characters, lucky woman. I simply wish I owned one or two of them, and if you don't know which, I ain't gonna tell you here. However, I am adding random names in here so that the characters can have conversations outside the circle of friends, and not look crazy.

Summary: James gets the girl, and Sirius gets jealous. Who can ever say what the green-eyed monster of jealousy will do?

Chapter 4

Lily lay awake in her bed, regardless of how tired she was, and unconsciously ran her fingers over and over the spot Sirius had kissed on her hand. He was…a gentleman. There was no other word for it. She fell asleep with the feel of his lips still on her mind. Nagging at the back, however, was James and how he had spent his attentions on her for so long.

James laid in his hospital bed, wondering if he could get Lily to go out with him. The nurse had gotten him to feel a pinprick on his toe, so she said he could try walking later. And, hey, maybe Lily would come back and he could show her that he had feeling in his legs again. The idea really appealed to him. Maybe he should attempt to walk when she was there, and fake a fall so she could catch him. He would really prefer to catch her, but he would have to wait for that.

Lily's mind held few thoughts of James as she and Sirius walked along the edge of the lake. Upon waking this morning, she found Mignonette dressed and preparing to go find Remus. Lily didn't think she could be happier for her friend having found someone so sweet to care for, and knew that Remus would care for the French girl, too. They had gone down to the common room together, and found both boys waiting. Remus was planning to have Mignonette help him brush up on his French in the library. Lily and Sirius were just going to walk around the grounds, relaxing on the day before classes and the new week began.

Walking in silence, Lily wondered how to begin a conversation with Sirius. She disliked that he had tendencies that she felt he should not, such as bullying first years or hexing the Slytherins. "How was your summer?" she asked hesitantly, knowing the reputation of his family. A scowl darkened the handsome face. "I hate them," he said shortly. Lily nodded, feeling pretty much the same about her sister. Petunia just did not understand that Lily was not a freak, and would not abide the thought of accepting her sister as a witch as easily as their parents. Thinking of her sister brought a frown to Lily's face. "What is it?" Sirius asked. "Let's just say I know how you feel, to a point," Lily replied. Sirius nodded, and held out his hand to stop her, pointing the way around the Whomping Willow. Lily stared, horrified, as a branch reached to strike them, and Sirius quickly moved to push her out of the way, the branch slamming into his back and sent them both tumbling. Lily groaned, sore from the tumble, but managed to sit up. "Are you alright? Nothing is broken?" she queried, looking worriedly down at Sirius. "Nothing's broken, darlin', but it should be," he drawled. "That's the second time this weekend that damned tree has managed to injure me."

Lily smiled, and Sirius sat up. "Ugh, that will leave a beautiful bruise," he muttered, rubbing his back. "No it won't, here," Lily said, moving to sit behind him. "Er," she hesitated, "you wouldn't mind taking your shirt off, would you?" Sirius complied, and Lily watched the muscles of his back ripple with fascination. 'Does he work out?' she wondered, before getting down to business. Pulling out her wand, she cleared her mind and focused on the slight injury. "No hexes, Evans, I'm unarmed," Sirius laughed. Lily smiled, waving her wand over the boy's back to assess the damage. "You've dislocated a disk," she informed him, surprised. "How are you moving around? That must hurt something awful." Sirius shrugged, and Lily winced. "It happened months ago, over the summer." Lily understood what he wanted her to know, but didn't feel like saying aloud. "Would you like me to fix that?" she asked softly, running a gentle fingertip over the offending vertebra. "If you feel like it. I've gotten used to it by now. The knotted muscles, though, are a real annoyance."

Lily waved her wand over the strong, lean back before her, and saw the vertebra slip gently back into place, and the blossoming bruise paled to return to the normal skin color. "There, that does that. Now, for the muscles," she told him, smiling softly as she put her wand away. Putting her hands on the shoulders, Lily could feel muscles tightening in response to her touch. "Where does it hurt most?" Sirius tilted his head to the side, considering. "The shoulders, between the shoulder blades, and the lower back."

Lily removed her hands, and stood. "We should go further around the castle, then," she told him. "Fewer eyes to see, fewer questions to answer." Sirius nodded, picked up his shirt, and stood as well. "We could always go to the Forest," he offered. Lily hesitated. "We're not allowed, though." Sirius nodded, took her hand, and led her to the further side of the castle, carefully avoiding the Whomping Willow. Lily followed, a bit of excitement building in her, though she could not begin to imagine why. Sirius stopped in front of a little hidden nook of castle walls. "Is this good?" he asked, and Lily nodded. The taller grass and flowers here would hide them perfectly. Sirius led her in, and they sat in the shadows, Sirius with his back to Lily. She rubbed his neck, moving down to his shoulders, her hands finding and gently working loose any tight or knotted muscles. Sirius was slowly able to relax against her hands, leaning back when her ministrations had worked their magic.

Letting her hands slip down to his lower back, Lily felt herself grow a touch breathless. Keeping up the massaging, she couldn't help but inhale the pleasant masculine smell that Sirius emanated. The soft, musky smell entranced her, and she leaned forward slightly to absorb more. Shaking her head slightly and closing her eyes, Lily tried to concentrate solely on the task at hand. She felt Sirius shift slightly under her hands, and he turned. "Lily, you've got a message," he told her, and upon opening her eyes, she saw a little piece of paper folded into a bird gently flexing its wings. "Hm, it seems the nurse wants me to see how she takes care of an injury like James' today. How is your back feeling?" she asked, noticing her left hand still rested on his back, but her right was now resting on his side, from when he had turned. "Feels just great," the black-haired boy told her, stretching greatly to prove it.

"All right, all right, I believe you! Now, though, I have a philosophical question for you." Sirius looked at her curiously. "Are you ticklish?" the girl asked. "Yes, why?" Sirius responded, not thinking about how the question was in no way philosophical. He yelped as Lily began tickling him, and tried to turn the rest of the way to retaliate. She straightened, leaning forward, and did her best to keep him from getting his limbs all turned the right way to be able to tickle her. Sirius settled for merely catching her hands in one of his, pulled her upright, and, keeping her hands trapped, proceeded to get his revenge. Lily squirmed and writhed, twisting her hands against his hold, and tried to break free. "Mercy!" she cried, laughing, until her squirming brought her up against Sirius' bare chest. His tickling paused, and Lily noticed that his breathing had gone shallow. "Sirius, I—" she began, but he laid a finger across her lips. "Shh," he told her, gently cupping her chin with his fingers. He ran his thumb lightly across her lips, sending a shiver down Lily's spine. Feeling her hands regain their freedom, Lily laid them on Sirius' broad shoulders.

"Lily," Sirius whispered, running his free hand through her hair. "Would you have me for your own if I promised to be yours?" Lily couldn't think about anything save how she longed for a kiss, or even the next brush of his skin against hers. She crawled a little closer on her knees, and Sirius raised himself on his knees to meet her. "I would, if you promised," she whispered, and Sirius pressed his lips tenderly to hers.

Remus and Mignonette sat in a secluded part of the library, Remus with a book in front of him, and Mignonette smiling shyly across the table. She had long since given up trying to improve his French, but now sat listening to him reading in his soft, warm accent. She blushed as he reached across the table to catch her hand in his, but smiled and gripped his fingers gently with her own. Remus finally decided that he couldn't concentrate on the book for a long enough period of time to get all of the words right. As it was, he had already ad-libbed about half of what he had read. Mignonette realized this, and reached over to gently close the book. "Let's go visit James," she suggested, and Remus gave her a dubious look. "You haven't been to see him, and Lily said he had broken his back after the match." Remus sighed as he got to his feet. "All right, we'll go see James. After that, though, would you care to go for a walk?" The French girl's hair fell in a shimmering curtain around her face as she nodded. They left, neither remembering that they would each normally put any books away that they had taken to look at.

James looked vaguely disappointed when he realized who had come to visit, Remus noted. It was as if he was expecting someone else. Indeed, the nurse seemed to have expected someone much sooner, for in the short time he and Mignonette were there, she sent out two little fluttering notes. "So, James, why did you choose until after the game to get hit by the bludger?" Remus queried, smiling slightly as James looked indignant. "Are you kidding? The Ravenclaw seeker would have won, then!" Mignonette laughed softly. "Is it always about winning, James?" she asked. "Eventually, you will lose, and you'll find it's not such a bad occurrence." Remus frowned slightly at the foreboding words and tried to lighten the mood by saying, "James will probably only lose when he's 80 years old and getting hexed by teenagers that he aggravated by challenging them to broom races." James smiled slightly, but was still inwardly worried by the girl's words, Remus could tell.

"Potter," the nurse snapped, "I'll be out for a moment. Don't you dare try to stand up or I'll break your back again and I'll leave it broken." She left in a whirl of white robes and James followed her leaving with a rude hand gesture. Mignonette looked puzzled, but Remus felt his face grow red. "James, do you really have to do that in front of Mignonette?" he asked, exasperated. James smiled, seemingly apologetic. "I suppose we should stay to be sure he listens to the nurse?" Mignonette asked, also smiling. Remus sighed. He really wanted to go outside because, if the view through the windows was anything to go by, it was a lovely day. "You don't have to stay, but I'm glad for the company if you do," James told them.

Remus nodded. "We'll stick around for a while." Mignonette smiled and sat herself on the chair next to the bed, and Remus stood awkwardly beside her. "_I wonder where the nurse had to go,_" Remus wondered.

Lily jumped at the sound of the nurse's voice calling her name and pulled away from Sirius. Blushing at the thoughts aroused by his sexy half smile, she opened her mouth to apologize for having to leave. "No," he said, laying a finger tenderly across her lips. "No apologies. Just help me find my shirt," he added, laughter in his eyes teasing her. After a short hunt, they located his shirt laying crumpled against the wall. Just as he finished pulling it on, the school nurse came around the corner. "Miss Evans, where have you been? I sent you two notes saying that you were to come see how I heal a paralized broken back patient." Lily looked up from where she was kneeling among wildflowers. "I only received one note, and I was picking flowers for James," she replied, holding up a handful of flowers. "I think this is enough, though, so I'm ready to go see how this healing is done." The nurse nodded brusquely, and lead the pair back into the castle and up to the hospital wing.

"Remus?" Sirius asked in surprise at seeing his friend standing by James' bed. "What are you doing here?" "Visiting his friend in the hospital wing," James answered, irritated that Lily had walked in with Padfoot. The nurse bustled out of her office with a vase, which she thrust at Lily, who placed the flowers in it and set on the bedside table. "You three," Madame Pomfrey barked, "out of the way. Miss Evans, step up to the other side of the bed, but don't touch him." As the nurse proceeded to show Lily how the healing was done, James felt a tingling in his left foot. The tingling soon grew to a horrible itch, but he couldn't reach down to scratch it. A second itch began in his right foot, and both ran up his legs to the small of his back where they melded in a blazing pain before nothing was left of itch or pain. He let his head fall back, his breath harsh and his heart pounding. Turning his head, he glared at the nurse. "That hurt!" he yelled, however she didn't bat an eye. "What did you expect? Feathers? Now get out of my hospital, Potter, you've been here quite long enough." Lily helped him stand, and they made their way slowly to the door, Lily on one side, Sirius on the other. Mignonette saw Sirius' hand nudge Lily's waist, but said nothing as she figured it was just awkward to be helping James walk. _"I hope that's all,"_ she thought, as they sidled James out the door.


End file.
